


The Keeper of Memories

by divapilot



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), njo timeframe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-12
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 05:52:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3163664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/divapilot/pseuds/divapilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Twi'lek restaurateur's life intersects with a Jedi master's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Repost from another site, written as a diary challenge.

Today is the anniversary of the day that I first took over this restaurant. 

Whenever this day comes around, I remember my father. He was a gentle man, a kind man. He was not particularly handsome, but he loved me and my sister very much and he loved our mother, too, I suppose, in his own way. 

Does it take a lifetime to forget? So far, everything seems to stay clear and distinct. I remember his funeral, the way that I heralded my father to his final clan home. I took the tasseled banner that bore my father’s name and clan symbols, traced the silky fabric for the final time, then folded it in the proper manner to indicate a departed soul before placing the banner in the engraved memory box. I handed the memory box to my mother. She rested her hand on it, closed her eyes, then hesitated for just a moment before returning it to me, the first-born. Now it belonged to me: now I am the memory keeper for our family. 

I hope my father approves of what I have done with his life’s work. I guess most people wouldn’t consider this small restaurant to be much of a legacy. It’s just four walls, some windows, a scattering of furniture, lots of expenses and far too much time expended. But I don’t see that. I see my father’s hand in every decision here. He chose the wood for the bar. He selected the lighting fixtures. 

It was my father’s choice to locate the restaurant here near the central governmental section of Coruscant, near what used to be Imperial City but far enough removed from the inner courts and chamber houses. It was a wise decision; many of his clients were important government officials who craved private, reclusive evenings as opposed to those weaklings who wanted fame and celebrity. Even in the days of the Emperor, his restaurant maintained a steady and reliable business. 

My dear husband Bruno knows that my father’s deathday is a difficult time for me. He sent me some lovely Ryloth desert blossoms this afternoon. He is a good man and I am lucky to have found him. I think I will save some of the roast ducash with granalla stuffing that I made earlier and bring it home for supper. He loves that particular meal. 

According to my clan’s traditions, my father’s deathday marks the start of my family year. I wonder what changes this year will bring. Last night, as I always do on the eve of a new year, I recited an intention and made an offering to my father’s memory and to The Guardian of Ryloth for good fortune this year. In previous years, I would make an intention for a child to love. I know that Bruno and I cannot have children of our own, but I always thought that maybe The Guardian might send us someone to adopt and love. I think I am too old for that intention now. That’s why last night’s intention was simply that this year be kind to two old married people. 

I think The Guardian, Aaylas'ecura, may have heard me. For the first time in years I feel a sense of excitement as the new year begins. I cannot deny that feeling that something is coming. 

Something or someone extraordinary is about to enter our lives. I am ready.


	2. Entry 2

Another busy week at the restaurant, which is a good thing since living on Coruscant is expensive, and the closer you are to a governmental center, the pricier it gets. It’s tough competition when there are so many trendy new places opening up. Just a few weeks ago a new Rodian establishment opened, and they have been soliciting business like mad! I noticed that they catered a state dinner. Of course, they couldn’t advertise directly, but their chef is making quite a little celebrity of himself and he was sticking his bumpy green face in every picture. You could almost hear it. “Look! There’s Chef Turget with the famous Han Solo! Look at him shaking hands with General Antilles!” 

Pah. My restaurant is just as good as anyone else’s, and we have been in business longer. 

Bruno says that I worry over nothing. He tells me that our restaurant has class, and that’s something those Holo-parasites will never have. So go ahead, Chef Turget. Maybe your fancy restaurant will have some new customers, but when they get bored with chilled agurio fish or that nasty-smelling char-burned goa cheese, they will move on to the next trend of the moment. And you will be standing in an empty restaurant!

Tomorrow night is our busiest night. I checked the reservations list and was relieved to see that it was filled. Bruno said, “Of course it’s filled. Everyone knows that Alida’s is the best restaurant in the sector.” Then he snuck up behind me, kissed my cheek, and he tickled my lek just behind my ear. (He thinks it’s cute the way that makes my head tails curl.) I slapped his hand and told him to behave himself. He is such a tease. Maybe I do worry too much. It’s a good thing I have my Bruno to help me relax.

One reservation was interesting. It was for two people, under the name “Luke Lars,” but it wasn’t the name but the comm number it came in under that caught my eye. You see, I have a very good deep memory for numbers. When I was very young and just starting in my father’s restaurant, I used to monitor the reservations file. I remember that comms placed from the palace had a different tracking number than outside comms, due to the security. Now, I have never heard of Mr. Lars, but I know that com was placed from the former palace apartments. He is probably someone who works for the Solos. Maybe he is trying to impress a lady friend. I’ll bet he thinks that because he works for such a prestigious family that he has to puff himself up like some kind of preening bird. She is probably some little wide-eyed thing, fresh from the off-world transports, looking for a friend in the big cities. 

I remember what it was like to be a young girl on her own. When Mother sent me to live with Father, I had to make a very long journey from Ryloth to Coruscant. I remember how scared I was. All I had was my suitcase, some credits, and Father’s address. 

All the way to our connection in Obroa-Skai, this horrid man kept bothering me. (Why is it that these men think that just because I am Twi’lek, that means that I want to become familiar with them? I cannot help the way that I look, and I cannot help that my skin is sensitive and standard clothing irritates me.) Anyway, this horrible man would not stop. He followed me when I got off the transport and tried to drag me into an empty alcove when I was in the terminal. Everyone ignored my shouts for help. It was in the dark days of the Empire, and there was so much trafficking in Twi’lek slaves back then that people probably thought he owned me.

Then, when I was sure that all was lost, the man was suddenly yanked away from me. There stood between us another human man. I will never forget his words. He said, “Get your hands off that lady!” 

When my attacker tried to hit him, my rescuer threw his hot drink in the man’s face, then he grabbed my suitcase with one hand and my hand in the other, and we ran away together. I was so upset that I didn’t know what to do. When I finally calmed down, I had missed my connecting transport to Coruscant. He offered to get me a room for the evening. He was such a gentleman. 

“I’m Bruno Maritin,” he said. “Might I be allowed to help you get your transport in the morning?”

I was shy back then. I hesitated, then something told me I could trust him. “My name is Alidan’avarth. I welcome your assistance.” Formal, yes, but my mother had been a lady of social stature in our clan and she had made sure that Tisa and I had been instructed in the art of manners. 

He bought me a meal, which we ate together in the little café near the traveler’s lodge. (Fitting how we started to fall in love at a restaurant table!) That night he helped me bandage my aching lekku, which the horrid man had bruised so badly, and made sure that I felt safe before he went to his room. And we have been inseparable ever since. 

I know what it feels like to be young and vulnerable in a big city. If this Luke Lars intends to take advantage of his guest, Bruno and I will be the first ones to step in to protect her. I think Mr. Lars would think twice about trying to take advantage of an innocent girl again after Bruno rolls up his sleeves and teaches this charmer a lesson in the proper way to treat a lady.


	3. Entry 3

Today was an interesting day. Remember when I said I felt that The Guardian, Aaylas’ecura, was sending us something or someone significant? Well, that someone walked straight through the main door, right past me, and I didn’t even recognize him. (Apparently, The Guardian has a trickster’s sense of humor.)

There was an odd buzz in the main dining room tonight, such as we sometimes hear when a celebrity visits. I scanned the room, but I recognized no one. Then I spotted a vaguely familiar human man at the far table. He was sitting with a human woman. 

Since I did not have the night’s reservation file handy, I asked Bruno who he was. (I am ashamed to admit it, but even after living on Coruscant these twenty-odd years, humans tend to all look alike to me.) Bruno, of course, knew who he was. “That’s Skywalker, the war hero.”

I had seen Luke Skywalker’s holo probably a hundred times before, but I had never really looked at it. Now, here he was, Jedi master and trusted advisor to the highest level of government, at Alida’s Restaurant. I was delighted! Then Bruno ruined my mood by suggesting that being such a person of high rank, it was a bit surprising to see him here, since most of those types of people frequent more exclusive establishments.

That got me angry. What right did this Master Skywalker have to look down upon our restaurant? “Surprising to see him here?” The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became. I frowned and flicked my lekku testily. “Ali, that’s not a nice word,” Bruno warned. 

Was Alida’s Restaurant simply an acceptable second where he could go to avoid the press, instead of dining at some better, fancier establishment? Oh, now that did it. My name is on this restaurant. Nobody insults my name. Nobody.

Bruno seemed to read my thoughts. “Ali!” he warned again. He grabbed for my arm but I slipped past him. 

I calmed down a bit before I reached the table, probably because I realized that I didn’t want to lose a customer due to my poor manners. I was not raised that way, you understand. When I reached his table, there was something very soothing about the way Master Skywalker talked to me that almost made me forget why I was there.

Almost. 

He assured me, as did his lady friend, that they were quite happy with the evening, and in fact, they liked the atmosphere here very much. That got me to thinking. My father taught me to take opportunities as the winds blow them to you, so I suggested that if they liked the privacy that we could offer, then we would be honored to create a special room just for them. Few establishments can make that offer. Since our restaurant is older, we are bigger than the new restaurants that pay premium credits for every square unit of floor space. There was a half-empty storage area that we were planning to renovate anyway. We could easily expand a little into the main area, bump a bit into my office, and there you are: a private dining area. 

Before Master Skywalker knew it, he had agreed to come back and dine with us again. I could see Bruno approaching, laughter in his eyes, and I used the opportunity to offer Bruno’s services as a body guard should any sludge reporters attempt to bother Master Skywalker and his lady friend, Mara Jade. (I think she was amused by the whole conversation.)

We left them to finish their meal, but I got the reservation for their next dinner. Now Alida’s Restaurant is the favored dining establishment of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. I must find out what foods he likes. I have a friend who works in the food services offices over at the old palace apartments. If he ever requests deliveries to his apartment, I can find out from her what he prefers and we’ll keep it in stock. What if he recommends us to his friends? We will have even more clients! And even if no one is dining in the private room, we could still rent it out for small parties. My mind began to bloom with possibilities.

The whole situation tonight reminded me of something that had happened when I had first arrived at Coruscant. I enrolled at the local university to study interplanetary trade, of all things, and I worked at the restaurant at night. After a long day of listening to old professors droning on about tariffs and rates of exchange, I would put on something more professional and work as a hostess at Father’s restaurant. It was very tiring.

(University was interesting, I must say. I remember trying to listen to my professor lecture in my post-Imperial economics class. Oh, but he was dull. To compound things, it was very warm in that classroom, a damp sort of warm, so in order for me to sit through his boring lectures I found I could only be comfortable if I wore a traditional ow-cut, open midriff blouse that Twi’lek women often wear. I am ashamed to say I had put on some weight and it was a bit tight in the chest on me, so I pulled it off the shoulders a little so it wouldn’t cut into my skin. My skin is very sensitive that way. 

It was hard to concentrate on the professor because he kept turning red and coughing and forgetting his words every time he came toward my side of the room. After a while he didn’t even walk around the class any more, but just stared from behind the lecture podium. I couldn’t hear him well at all, so I had to lean forward over the desk, which made the blouse fit even more poorly, gaping quite low in the front.

That’s when the human man behind me started to try to get my attention. I told him I wasn’t interested.

“How would you like to go out with a real man, pretty one?” he asked me one night. He looked at me as if I was made of honey cakes and he had not had a dessert in years.

I was not in the mood. “That would be lovely,” I sniped. “If you should find one, be sure to let me know.”

University wasn’t so bad. I hardly did any work in that class and I still received a grade of “Exceptional.”)

As I said before, I sometimes have a difficult time telling one human from another. This was particularly so when I first started living on Coruscant. At that time, I worked with the reservations file and as a hostess for Father while he handled the business end of the restaurant. 

One very busy evening a handsome human came in. He was tall, with curly brown hair and deep brown eyes, and dressed in a very stylish new suit. Barely glancing at him, I politely greeted him and offered him a seat, promising to prepare his table right away.

“Alida?” he said expectantly.

I looked up. What did this presumptuous man want, and how did he know my name? Suddenly I recognized him. How foolish I felt! It was Bruno. 

I shrieked with joy. I threw my hands into the air and my lekku twisted excitedly. I could not contain my smile or my laughter. 

I hugged him tightly, and I discovered that he was now a much more athletic person, hardly the skinny man who had befriended me weeks before at Obroa-Skai. I could feel muscles under the fabric of his tunic. I approved. In fact, I had to make myself take my hand off his arm. 

We chatted when I had a free moment. “What a wonderful surprise,” I said, lightly tracing his bicep with my index finger. “What brings you so far from your sector?”

“I’ve come to ask your father for permission to court you,” Bruno said. “Is that all right with you?”

His words made me feel like I was floating. But before I could say anything further, a figure dressed in a long gray gown and overcloak towered over us. 

Bruno and I looked up in sudden alarm as Father loomed in the doorway, his face a clear study of intense disapproval. Before Bruno would be allowed to visit with me, he would have to meet Father’s expectations. And Father’s expectations were very, very high.


	4. Chapter 4

There have been some interesting events that have happened since Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade dined at our restaurant. Firstly, Luke and Mara honored us by allowing us to use their core names. Among humans, this is not so unusual, but in Twi’leki culture, the use of a person’s core name indicates more than familiarity. It implies trust and affection. I even let Bruno use a nickname for me, “Ali,” which would be unheard of among fellow Twi’leks. But I know that it is his special name for me, and when he says, “Please come here, Ali,” what he is really saying is “Please come here, beloved.”

Secondly, I have a lot of construction to organize. Bruno rolls his eyes when I start to take out the blueprints and begin calculations. “You enjoy this,” he teases. “You complain about how much work you have, but really, you wouldn’t have it any other way.” He’s probably right. It is exciting to do something new.

Thirdly, there is a secret that I know. Humans are wonderful people, very creative and at times even inspired, but when it comes to being able to understand each other’s emotions, well, they can be as dumb as deactivated droids. I’m not sure even Bruno knows this secret yet, but I would not be surprised if he suspects. And the secret is –

You know, the secret reminds me of a time when Bruno and I first began our courtship. Bruno was determined to win me over according to my own Twi’leki customs, so he had come to petition my father’s permission to court me. We were sitting right there on that very same bench in the corner when Father appeared in the doorway.

At first Father was a bit stern. There have been many men, mostly human, who have tried to win my attention. He understood that I do not always appreciate that, especially when I am trying to get work done. But after a moment, Father could tell that Bruno was not just some stranger. “Alidan’avarth, you have a friend to introduce, yes?” Father asked, his thin blue hands clasped lightly together. (He used my formal clan name because we were in front of Bruno, and he was not of our clan.)

Bruno and I stood up. Even without lekku, I could tell he was nervous.

“Yes, Father,” I said. “This is Bruno Maritin. He wishes to petition you.”

Father’s eyes grew wide, then a small smile began in the corner of his mouth. “Is this true, Bruno Maritin?” he asked, inclining his head so that his strong lekku looked even larger. 

“Yes sir,” Bruno said. He held his head high and spoke respectfully. I was pleased. Father would note that.

In fact, Father did note it well. He drew his hands back into his overcloak and nodded in reply. “Then please come into my office,” he said to us. “We have much to discuss.”

The three of us went into Father’s office. (It is my office now.) He called for three cups of Calming Tea, and we waited until it was placed on the desk. Father generously handed one cup to me and one to Bruno. Once Father had taken his cup and sipped, I smiled at Bruno and lifted my own cup. Bruno followed my lead perfectly.

Father placed the cup on his desk. “You wish to petition me, Bruno Maritin. For what reason?”

Now, we all knew the reason. This was said simply to fulfill the courting ritual. It appeared that Bruno had done some research, because he answered correctly. He took a deep breath and said, “Honored clan father, I wish to petition for your permission to court your daughter, Alidan’avarth.” (Of course, without the lekku, it lacked the richness of language, but we were all speaking Basic anyway. This was my father’s way of honoring Bruno, by conducting the interview in Basic.)

Father tilted his head, his lekku rippling pleasantly. I was excited because I could tell that Father already liked Bruno. I held my eyes low and my lekku politely still. “For what reason do you wish to court her?” Father asked.

“Sir?” Bruno seemed confused. I peeked at him and pursed my lips. You know this answer, Bruno, I tried to communicate to him through my facial expression. (I had learned that most humans read emotion from the face.) Bruno glanced at me and then at Father, who waited patiently for an answer.

“I wish to court her because I am very fond of her, and I have traveled a great distance to be with her again,” Bruno said. He shifted in his seat.

Father considered that answer. “What is it about her that makes Alidan’avarth pleasing to you, such that you would court her?” he asked.

I smiled. Surely Bruno knew the answer to that one. Father was going easy on him.

Bruno cleared his throat again. “Alidan’avarth is a kind, compassionate woman. She is intelligent and clever. She honors you and the clan.”

Father harrumphed. My lekku wilted in disappointment. How could he have missed such an obvious answer? Father’s ears flattened a bit. “Is there anything else?” he asked. I looked at Bruno, my eyes pleading. 

Bruno bit his lip. “She’s beautiful,” he said.

Father nodded. “Does her form please you?” he asked.

I tilted my head to best display my plump lekku. I winked at him, as I had sometimes seen human women do in order to attract men. Bruno’s eyes grew larger. “Oh, yes, sir,” he said breathily.

“Then you have enjoyed her pleasures?” Father asked. 

Bruno looked confused and a little frightened. “Sir?” he asked.

Father sighed, the way he would when dealing with a server who has failed yet again to get the customer’s order correct. “Have you mated with her, Bruno Maritin?” he asked.

“No, sir!” Bruno said. “Of course not!” He sat up straight, as if he were shocked by the question.

Father likewise sat back straight. He opened his mouth slightly, exposing his perfectly pointed teeth. His lekku flicked. I stared at the floor. “Why not?” Father demanded. “Do you find our clan daughter, Alidan’avarth, unworthy?”

Small spots of sweat began to glisten across Bruno’s brow. “No, sir,” he stammered.

Father took a deep breath. He thought for a moment. “Bruno Maritin, I have lived here on Coruscant, away from Ryloth, for a long time. Perhaps it is a difference in culture that we are experiencing. Among Twi’liki, the experience of sharing pleasure is a natural and beautiful event. We are not afraid of our sensuality. Among humans, I have noticed, it is often considered shameful and unclean.”

Bruno leaned forward. He placed his hands on the table as he made his point. “Sir, I respect your clan daughter Alidan’avarth so much that I would not impose my desires on her,” he said.

“But you do have desires for her?” asked Father.

“Yes, sir. Yes, I most definitely have desires for your beautiful clan daughter, Alidan’avarth.” Bruno pulled at the collar of his tunic.

I squirmed happily. Of course he wanted me. He was my Bruno.

Father raised his chin and stroked it with his forefinger. Finally he spoke. “Bruno Maritin, in Twi’leki society, a suitor is judged on emotional, social, and physical compatibility. You have proven the first two but not the third. I have decided that you may court our clan daughter Alidan’avarth on one condition. You must spend a night with her. If you find her pleasing, and she feels the same way, then you will be allowed to visit her.” 

Bruno sat very quietly as Father took out his datapad and checked his appointments. “You will meet with her in three days. I will allow you to dine here before you leave. Then, I will meet with Alidan’avarth the following afternoon to discuss your evening. If she still wants your company, I will grant you my permission to court her.” Father then lifted his teacup as his signal that we were excused from his office.

Bruno swallowed very hard, then stood up. He bowed respectfully. “Thank you, honored clan father.” 

Four days later, I was back in Father’s office. 

“Did everything go well, Alida?” he asked me.

I took a sip of tea and placed my teacup back on the desk. “Very well, Father,” I said. “He arrived for dinner right on time, and he brought me flowers.”

Father nodded approvingly. “That, dear daughter, is a sign of love from a human. They cut the blossom away from its life-giving stem and bring the flower to their favored one. It is important that they present the dying plant before the petals begin to decay. I am not sure why, but humans are very pleased by the sacrificial offering of a severed plant.”

I nodded in understanding. “They were beautiful and they had the sweetest scent. Not unlike a sauce made with a reduction of pashola essence,” I noted. 

“Continue. Did he treat you with respect all evening?” 

“Yes, Father.”

“Was his form attractive to you?” Father asked.

I hesitated. “He had more hair than I expected. He reminded me a little of a short Wookiee.”

Father’s lips twitched into a small smile. “But not too much hair?”

I shook my head, smiling. “No. And he is very muscular,” I added.

Father seemed pleased. “Did he turn off the lights?” he asked.

I frowned, puzzled. “Of course not. Why hide the beauty of our bodies in the dark?” I answered.

“Good, good.” Father took another sip and signed a purchase order that was on his desk. He looked up at me. “Did you find your evening pleasurable?”

I smiled widely at the memory. “Yes, Father. As did he.”

Father smiled broadly now. “Very good, dear daughter,” he said. “You and Bruno Maritin seem compatible.”

I knew there was one more thing that would guarantee Father’s approval. “He is a very religious man, Father,” I said. “Many times during the evening he cried out, ‘Oh gods, Alida!’” 

Father’s eyes twinkled proudly. “He speaks your name with the same reverence that he reserves for his gods. Yes, Alida, I give Bruno Maritin permission to court you.”

And that is how Bruno and I began our formal courtship.

It is unfortunate that Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade have no parents to guide them in their courtship. Imagine how difficult it would have been for me if my dear father had not been there to help us. I treasure all those times Father spoke encouragingly to me, all the advice and support that Father was there to give us. Perhaps Bruno and I can help Luke and Mara, if they desire it. 

Luke has scheduled an appointment with me to discuss his upcoming dinner with Mara. I do not doubt that he will want to make things perfect for her. I’m glad that Luke is going to see her again. When Luke and Mara return to Alida’s Restaurant, they will have everything set for a romantic evening. 

Here is the secret that I keep in my memory. As I watched Luke and Mara that evening, I saw how she looked at him. Mara yearned for him in her eyes. And as for Luke, if it were possible, I think he would have never removed his hand from hers. That night at my restaurant, I could tell that Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade had started to fall in love.


	5. Chapter 5

Entry 5.

Bruno says that I thrive on over-extending myself. I not only run this restaurant, handling all the accounting and the purchases myself, but I also work very closely with our chef, Sharai. It’s not enough that I decide the way that the new room will be constructed, I also constantly supervise what the contractors are up to. And now, so he tells me, I’m not happy just to provide a place for Luke and Mara to visit, I have to actively support their relationships. 

Tomorrow afternoon Luke is coming to meet with me. I am very glad, and not because he is famous. I actually feel sorry for him. It must be hard for him to have any privacy at all, with all the demands on him. How fortunate that he has come to my restaurant! I am able to give him my time and consideration.

I was curious, so I looked up Luke’s name on the HoloNet the other day. There were so many entries! (Of course, there were many other entries about him, entries that were mostly rumor and supposition. I did not waste my time on those.) I did not know that he had lost both parents at a very early age. I did not know that he had wanted to continue his education. 

Then I looked up Mara Jade on the HoloNet. There was not much to be found, and what I did find dealt mostly with her record as a trader with Talon Karrde. It appears Miss Jade suddenly appeared around the age of 20. I wonder what her childhood was like? 

Such different people, such different backgrounds. Luke comes from a stable, loving home, and Mara’s home is a mystery. Luke spent time in the military while Mara was working as a smuggler. Yet, they manage to find each other and see beyond their differences. 

Bruno and I certainly had our differences. Once we started our courtship, things progressed the way such relationships usually go. We went out to concerts, we shared meals together, those sort of things. But our best times were when we were alone together and we could just talk to each other.

Bruno was still practicing psychotherapy at the time, although he had moved and was working hard to set up a new practice here at Government Center. He loved his job. He said it made him proud to be able to help a person regain a sense of dignity and confidence. I was working with Father at the restaurant. By that time, I had pretty much abandoned my idea of getting an economics degree, and I had switched to culinary arts. (I was the only Twi’lek in the school. Even though I have multiple stomachs and I can literally eat just about anything, that doesn’t mean that I want to.)

I was a very good student. I used to make food for Bruno and bring them to him. Bruno would always set aside one day a week for the two of us to share a midday meal. We would laugh and he would tell me about his day, and I would tell him about mine. Silly things, really, now that I look back on it. But the joy didn’t come from what we were eating or saying, it was the fact that we had decided to spend the time together. 

One time I brought some meat pies. We shut the door, sat on the floor of his small office, and ate them together. I remember that as he was talking, I noticed a little smudge of sauce on his chin. I reached over to wipe it off, and Bruno caught my hand.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

I stopped, afraid that I had offended him. Perhaps on his homeworld of Fondor this was considered inappropriate. “Cleaning you up. See?” I said. I showed him the finger with the sauce on it.

He turned my hand around and looked at it. “But now you’re messy. I’ll have to clean that for you,” he said. He kissed the sauce off my fingers.

I scooted closer. “Now you have sauce on your mouth. I guess I’ll have to clean that up, too,” I said. I leaned forward and kissed his mouth. As I recall, a lot of cleaning up was done that afternoon.

After that day, on the times we met for midmeal, Bruno would make it a practice to clear his appointments for the rest of the afternoon. We would eat together and chat away, and then, after midmeal, we would lock the office door and stop talking. 

I was so wrapped up in my own world, concentrating on my studies and on my work at the restaurant, that for a long time I did not even notice all that Bruno was doing for me. I was very used to the idea that men desired me. Most human men are attracted to Twi’lek women anyway. If I didn’t know better, I would swear that the Maker actually designed us to be sexy. Even now, at my age, I still get looks and comments from men.

I took it for granted that Bruno admired me. It was a long time before I realized that he loved me.


End file.
